Drug sales within school zones could land dealer 12 years in prison

A Gettysburg man will serve at least two years in jail after pleading guilty last week to drug charges he faced.

Dennis A. Vanbrakle, 55, appeared in Adams County court Jan. 7 and pleaded guilty to six counts of delivery of a controlled substance.

Prosecutors said each of the sales took place within 1,000 feet of a school zone, which means each count carries a mandatory sentence of two years in jail. The sentences for the six counts could be run concurrently, which would mean Vanbrakle would serve a total of two years in jail.

But Adams County Judge Michael A. George warned Vanbrakle that if the sentences are run consecutively, he would face 12 years in jail.

Vanbrakle is scheduled to be sentenced on March 27.

The charges to which Vanbrakle pleaded guilty stem from cocaine sales he made in Gettysburg Borough to either undercover police or a police informant. Each of the six sales was made between February and April of 2012, and Vanbrakle in the incidents typically sold two small baggies of the drug for $200, according to court records.

Sales were made at a few locations around Gettysburg, including a convenience store and a parking lot.

Prosecutors said that, as a condition of the sentence, they seek that Vanbrakle return the $1,250 police used to purchase drugs from him, as well as reimburse a $678 laboratory fee covering the costs of having the drugs analyzed.